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Teenage Paparazzo (2010)

Adrian Grenier (who most of you will know from the HBO-series Entourage) has become a well-known face in Hollywood. With the fame also comes the curiosity of people wanting to know more about their favorite stars which is where the tabloids step in. Of course they want pictures of a celebrity (if possible in an embarrassing situation). Grenier also noticed this as he started being followed by the paparazzi. When he saw a young boy between these photographers he decided to approach him. The kid turned out to be 13-year-old Austin Visschedyk who had been doing it for a while and could be found late at night on the streets of Los Angeles trying to get some good pictures and make some money. Grenier decides to follow Austin and explore the world of the paparazzi.

Austin surely isn’t your average kid. Although he regularly uses a skateboard or a scooter he is always carrying around a big camera around his neck and regularly buys new parts and lenses. Austin talks a lot about his profession and his vision of the future. If he makes a good picture he will get at least 500 dollar for it and manages to earn a lot more than your average 13-year old. Grenier also interviews his parents who support him completely. He doesn’t have to go to school as he is schooled at home.

This documentary shows more than just Austin and decides to not only look at the photographer, but also at the market of celebrity pictures. He visits one of the magazines to see how they decide to use a picture and which things make a picture stand out. He talks to professors to understand the fascination with celebs and also talks to other celebrities. You will hear a lot of well-known people (Matt Damon, Paris Hilton, Alec Baldwin, Whoopi Goldberg, the cast of Entourage, Perez Hilton, Eva Longeria and Rosie O’Donnell) give their opinion about the paparazzi and the fact that cameras are always pointed in their direction.

Grenier shows the documentary to Austin (and his mother) and asks him some tough question which leads to them getting a better understanding of each other. Because Grenier does a complete and thorough examination on the subject he has managed to create a very good documentary about this phenomenon which is well worth watching.